DownloadThe Portobello Bookshop Gift Guide 2024

Bhakti and Power

Debating India's Religion of the Heart

Anand A Yang editor John Stratton Hawley editor Christian Lee Novetzke editor K Sivaramakrishnan editor Padma Kaimal editor Swapna Sharma editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:University of Washington Press

Published:6th May '19

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

This paperback is available in another edition too:

Bhakti and Power cover

Bhakti, a term ubiquitous in the religious life of South Asia, has meanings that shift dramatically according to context and sentiment. Sometimes translated as “personal devotion,” bhakti nonetheless implies and fosters public interaction. It is often associated with the marginalized voices of women and lower castes, yet it has also played a role in perpetuating injustice. Barriers have been torn down in the name of bhakti, while others have been built simultaneously.

Bhakti and Power provides an accessible entry into key debates around issues such as these, presenting voices and vignettes from the sixth century to the present and from many parts of India’s cultural landscape. Written by a wide range of engaged scholars, this volume showcases one of the most influential concepts in Indian history—still a major force in the present day.

"[G]ives the reader a kaleidoscopic vision of power as it has been inflicted, resisted, managed, redirected, and experienced across South Asia."

* Journal of Asian Studies *

"[A] welcome intervention in the field of bhakti studies. The work capably challenges neat narratives."

* Reading Religion *

"This edited volume is an excellent source for navigating the many distinct voices and traditions referred to as bhakti...a much-needed resource for scholars and teachers."

* Religious Studies Review *

"The book should inform and stimulate future studies of bhakti, and its warnings against reading modern concerns into pre-modern sources should be heeded."

* Religions of South As

ISBN: 9780295745503

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 567g

272 pages